دَع ذِكرَ عَبدَةَ إِنَّهُ فَنَدُ

وَتَعَزَّ تَرفِدُ مِنكَ ما رَفَدوا

Leave off mentioning Abda, for he is gone

And be content with what you get from me

ما نَوَّلَتكَ بِما تُطالِبُها

إِلّا مَواعِدَ كُلُّها فَنَدُ

She did not turn you away out of what you desire

Except for promises, all of which were lies

فَاِسكُن إِلى سَكَنٍ تُسَرُّ بِهِ

ذَهَبَ الزَمانُ وَأَنتَ مُنفَرِدُ

So settle into a life you find pleasant

Time has passed and you remain alone

قَد شابَ رَأسُكَ في تَذَكُّرِها

وَهَفا الفِراقُ وَرَقَّتِ الكَبِدُ

Your hair has greyed with thoughts of her

And separation has wasted and torn your liver

فَاِستَبقِ عِرضَكَ أَن يُدَنِّسَهُ

ظَنُّ المُريبِ وَظَنُّهُ حَسَدُ

Protect your honor lest it be tainted

By ill suspicion and jealous eyes

لا تُجرِ شَيبَكَ لِلصِبى فَرَساً

وَاِقعُد فَإِنَّ لَدَيكَ قَد قَعَدوا

Do not let your grey hairs run with the youth

But sit, for before you others have sat

بَل أَيُّها الرَجُلُ المُضِرُّ بِهِ

حُبُّ النِساءِ فَلَيسَ يَتَّئِدُ

Rather, O man, love of women harms you

It cannot be tied down or controlled

أَخَّرتَ رُشدَكَ في غَدٍ فَغَدٍ

بَل كَيفَ تَأمَنُ ما يَسوقُ غَدُ

You put off your maturity again and again

How can you trust what tomorrow will bring?

تَرجو غَداً وَغَدٌ كَحامِلَةٍ

في الحَيِّ لا يَدرونَ ما تَلِدُ

You hope for tomorrow though tomorrow is like a pregnant woman

In life, not knowing what she will give birth to

في اليَومِ حَظُّكَ إِن أَخَذتَ بِهِ

وَغَدٌ فَفي تِلقائِهِ العَدَدُ

Today holds your share, if you but take it

While tomorrow’s meeting holds only counting

الحُبُّ تُعجِبُني لَذاذَتُهُ

وَالفِسقُ أَقبَحُ ما أَتى أَحَدُ

I love passion for its sweetness

Though corruption is the ugliest that can come to man

لَو كُنتُ آمِنَةً خَلَوتُ بِهِ

يَوماً فَحَدَّثَني بِما يَجِدُ

If I felt safe I would be alone with him

One day and he would tell me what he feels

قالَت لَها تُعفَينَ مِن رَفَثٍ

وَعَلَيَّ أَنّي سَوفَ أَقتَصِدُ

She said to her, “Spare me your nonsense

And I must be more careful from now on”

فَاِخلَي لَهُ يَكحَل بِرُؤيَتِكُم

عَيناً تَعَنّاها بِكُم رَمَدُ

So empty your eyes that long to see us all

Eyes that our absence has blinded

فَلَهَوتُ وَالظَلماءُ جاثِمَةٌ

بِالشَمسِ إِلّا أَنَّها جَسَدُ

Thus we played, while the dark lay down

With the sun, though it is but a body

حَتّى اِنقَضى في الصُبحِ مَلعَبُنا

وَكَذاكَ يَهلِكُ ما لَهُ أَمَدُ

Until our game ended at dawn

And so too ends all that has a term